Disclaimer: Yeah...no.
Kid Flash walked up to the pod holding the clone. "Big K little r," He read on the sign. "The atomic symbol for Krypton."
"A clone?" Dark Angel asked.
Aqualad turned to Robin. "Robin, hack."
"What?" He looked away from the pod. "Oh right, right." He plugged his watch into the computer and easily bypassed the system.
"Weapon designation 'Superboy,'" Robin read. "A clone force grown in...16 weeks? From DNA acquired from Superman."
"Stolen from Superman." Aqualad corrected.
"No way the big guy knows about this." Kid Flash said.
"And he won't be happy when he finds out." Dark Angel added, glancing at the pod holding Superboy.
"Solar suit allows him to absorb yellow sun radiation 24/7." Robin continued reading.
"And these...creatures?" Aqualad asked, pointing to the small creatures sitting above Superboy.
"Genomorph G-gnomes. Telepathic. Force feeding him an education." Robin said.
"And we can guess what else." Kid Flash said. "They're making a slave out of...well...Superman's...son."
"Okay...I think now we should contact the League." Dark Angel said and they all tried to send them a message.
"No signal." Robin said, looking at his watch.
"We're in too deep." Kid Flash said. "Literally."
Silence filled the group. All wondering what they were going to do now.
Dark Angel looked at Superboy. "We should let him out." She said, breaking the silence.
Kid Flash nodded. "Dark Angel's right...this is wrong."
"We can't just leave him like this." Robin added.
Aqualad thought for a moment. "Set him free. Do it." He said, turning to Robin.
Robin quickly typed into the computer and the pod doors opened. No one noticed the horns and eyes glowing on the Genomorphs sitting above Superboy's head. Superboy clenched his fists and opened his eyes to look at the four teenagers.
Dark Angel smiled softly and walked toward Superboy. "Hi I'm-" She was cut off as Superboy flew towards her and pinned her down on the ground.
The three boys ran towards them as Superboy started punching her. They grabbed his arms and tried to hold him back.
"Woah, hang on Supey." Kid Flash said.
"We're on your side!" Robin said, trying to get through to him.
Superboy punched Kid Flash and sent him flying through a glass tube, knocking him out.
"I don't want to do this..." Robin shot gas into Superboy's face.
Dark Angel used this time to shoot a shadow at him, throwing him off of her. Superboy stood up, coughing, but otherwise unhurt. Robin shot a tazer at him, but he just grabbed ahold of the wires and tugged, knocking Robin off of his feet and sending him towards him. When Robin landed in front of Superboy, he just put a foot on him to hold him down.
Aqualad helped Dark Angel to her feet. "You okay?" He asked her. She had some blood trickling out of her mouth but other than that she seemed fine.
"I'm good." She told him.
Aqualad grabbed his water-bearers, shaping the water into a hammer. "Enough!" He shouted as he slammed the hammer into Superboy. Aqualad started to help Robin up but Robin just slumped right back down. Superboy just calmly started walking back towards Aqualad.
"Why are you doing this?" Dark Angel spoke up. "We never did anything to you!"
"We're trying to help you." Aqualad added.
Superboy just looked at them and then launched himself towards Aqualad, who easily dodged the punch. Aqualad dived into Superboy, knocking him into the wall. Superboy kicked him off. He was soon launched into the wall again, this time held there by a black substance. Dark Angel walked up to him, holding her hand up and her eyes completely black.
"How about you just calm down and we can have a nice little chat?" Dark Angel asked with false sweetness.
Superboy grunted and broke free of the shadows holding him. He threw a punch at Dark Angel, who ducked, and Aqualad came up kicked him in the side. Superboy punched Aqualad and grabbed Dark Angel by the arm, throwing her into the wall and knocking her out. Aqualad grabbed Superboy in a headlock and electrocuted him. Superboy growled and jumped straight up into the ceiling, trying to knock Aqualad off of him. He held on until Superboy jumped up a second time, this time successfully knocking Aqualad out.
Superboy walked toward the door on the far end and threw it open, showing two scientists, the Guardian, and the blue creature who had attacked the teenagers before. The head scientist walked forward and looked into the room and saw all four heroes out cold.
The four heroes were locked in pods, Superboy standing guard over them.
Time has run short. A voice whispered in their heads. You must awaken. You must awaken NOW!
The four of them woke up with a gasp. Superboy glaring at them.
"What?" Kid Flash asked him. "What do you want?"
Superboy only glared at him.
"Stop staring, your creeping me out!" Kid Flash shouted.
"Uh...KF?" Robin said. "How about not tick off the guy who can fry us with a look?"
"And no yelling!" Dark Angel added. "My head hurts enough."
"We only sought to help you." Aqualad said.
Kid Flash joined in. "Yeah, we free you and you turn on us. How's that for grat-?"
Aqualad interrupted him. "Kid, please. Be quiet now. I believe our new friend is not in full control of his actions."
Unbeknownst to everyone in the room, Robin pulled out a small picklock.
"What..what if I..." Superboy cleared his throat. "What if I wasn't?"
"He can talk?" Kid Flash shouted.
Superboy looked sharply at Kid Flash. "Yes...he can."
"KF you really need to learn to think before you speak." Dark Angel told him.
"What?" Kid Flash asked. "It's not like I said it."
Aqualad changed the subject. "The Genomorphs taught you, telepathically."
"They taught me much." Superboy explained. "I can read, write, and I know the names of things."
"But have you ever actually seen them?" Robin asked. "Have you ever actually seen the...sky? The sun?"
"Images are implanted in my mind..." Superboy said. "But...no. I've never actually seen them."
"Do you know what you are...who you are?" Aqualad asked him.
Superboy straightened slightly. "I am the Superboy. A clone made from the DNA of the Superman. Created to replace him should he parish...to destroy him if he turns from the Light."
"To be like Superman..." Aqualad said. "Is...a worthy aspiration. But like Superman you deserve a life of your own. Beyond your solar suit...beyond your pod...beyond Cadmus."
"I live because of Cadmus!" Superboy protested. "It is my home!"
"Some home." Dark Angel said. "They grew you in a test tube, stored you in a pod, made you grow at such an accelerated rate you missed out on having a childhood, have never let you outside to see everything for yourself..." She snorted. "Yeah, who would want to leave a place like this?" She asked sarcastically.
"What Dark Angel is trying to say is we can show you the sun." Robin said.
"Uh..." Kid Flash interrupted. "I'm pretty sure it's after midnight...but we can show you the moon!"
"We can show you...introduce you to Superman." Aqualad added.
Superboy's eyes widened.
"No. They can't." The head scientist said as he, another scientist, and the Guardian entered the room. "They'll be...otherwise occupied." He turned to the scientist beside him. "Activate the cloning process." She nodded on went over to the machines.
"Pass!" Robin said. "Batcave's crowded enough."
The head scientist ignored him. "And get the clone back in it's pod!" He told Guardian. Guardian went to grab Superboy.
"Hey how come he can call Supey an 'it?'" Kid Flash protested.
"Please tell me your not serious." Dark Angel told him.
Guardian put a hand on Superboy's shoulder.
"Help us." Aqualad pleaded with him.
Superboy shook Guardian's hand off.
"Don't start thinking now!" The head scientist sent a Genomorph onto Superboy's shoulder, taking over his thoughts. "See," The head scientist continued. "Your not a real boy, your a weapon. And you belong to me...well...to Cadmus...same thing! Now get back to your pod!"
Superboy turned and walked out of the room without a word.
The head scientist turned toward the woman scientist who was busy at work on the machines. He nodded at her and she pressed a button, allowing four needles to enter each of the pods, and entering the teenager's chest. They all groaned in pain as it electrocuted them and extracted part of their DNA, going into glass spheres underneath them.
"Where's double x?" The head scientist asked as the blue creature stepped out from the shadows. "Oh! Lurking as usual. Get the G-gnomes downloading their memories. And when your sure the clones are viable...delete the source."
Superboy walked down the hallway, heading back for his pod.
Superboy, He heard Aqualad whisper. You live. That gives you the right to follow your own path. A weapon or a person. The choice is yours. But ask yourself: What would Superman do?
Superboy stopped walking.
Superboy ripped up the machine, stopping the cloning process. The four heroes sighed in relief.
"I told you to get back to your p-" The head scientist was cut off as he and the other scientists were thrown aside, knocking them out.
"Don't give me orders." Superboy growled.
"You here to help us or fry us?" Kid Flash asked.
Superboy looked at Kid Flash for a moment. "Well I don't seem to have heat vision to I guess helping is my only option."
"I really hope that was a joke..." Dark Angel said as Robin released himself from his pod and jumped down.
"Ah...finally..." He said, rubbing his hands. "Lucky Batman isn't here. He'd have my head for taking so long."
"Seriously?" Kid Flash asked. "That's what your worried about? The whole League will have our heads after tonight!"
Robin reached over and pressed a button on the controls. Opening everyone else's pods.
"You get Aqualad and Dark Angel." Robin told Superboy. "I'll get Kid Mouth."
"Don't you give me orders either." Superboy growled but he broke off Aqualad's cuffs as Robin worked on Kid Flash's.
Aqualad rubbed his hands. "Thank you."
Superboy nodded and turned to Dark Angel who was already jumping out of her pod.
"I got it." She told Superboy, her eyes slowly fading back to their original grey. "Let's go."
The five teenagers quickly started to run out of the room.
"You'll never get out of here!" The head scientist said as he started to get back up. "I'll have you back in pods before morning!"
Robin turned and looked back at him. "That guy is not whelmed, not whelmed at all." He shot four bombs toward the spheres holding their DNA.
"Seriously, what is it with you and this whelmed thing?" Kid Flash asked as the spheres exploded.
The head scientist watched as every piece of machinery in the room collapsed in the explosion. A G-gnome hopped onto his shoulder.
"Contact every Genomorph in Cadmus." He told it.
A/N: Woo! Extra long chapter! Hope you guys like it and please review!